January 1, 2023

UCSF IT Security

Awareness News You Can Use

Monthly Articles, Contests, and Upcoming Events

January's Quiz is on Your Role in Protecting UCSF Data

Please read "Know Your Role in Protecting UCSF Data" and take the monthly quiz. All UCSF faculty, staff, contractors, students, and affiliates who take the quiz will be entered in a drawing for one of six $50 Amazon gift cards.

Remember, you can also visit our previous security awareness articles and take the quizzes. Visit our past campaigns at the UCSF Awareness Site.

New and Improved Required UC Cybersecurity Awareness Course

The next time you complete your annual mandatory UC Cyber Fundamentals Awareness Course on the UC Learning Management System (LMS), you will see a new and improved course - and you could win a $50 Amazon gift card. Find out more and see the new contest below!

See the Latest Phishing Scams and Know

What To Do! 

In the last year, cyber criminals delivered a wave of cyber-attacks that were not just highly coordinated, but far more frequent and advanced than ever before seen. Many of them began with a phishing email. To help everyone be more aware of the current widespread and impactful phishing scams, IT Security has created a page New Phishing Threat Alerts. It lists the prevalent phishing campaigns and provide additional information on:

• What to watch out for
• Key actions to take
• Tips to remember

Please bookmark the page and check back often. IT Security will be updating it frequently.

Ongoing Monthly Contests

Everyone Can Win a Prize!

1. Refer your UCSF friends and colleagues to the UCSF Awareness Site and ask them to:

• Read the latest article and take the quiz.
• Ask them to enter your email address as the referrer.
• State they are new to the site on the last page of the monthly quiz.

For each 20 people you refer, you will win a $25 Amazon gift card (limit 2/year, referrals do not expire).

2. Each month we will be selecting one person to win a $50 gift card from everyone who uses the Phish Alarm Button to report suspicious emails. They will win a $50 gift card. This important security tool analyzes the email and lets you know if it is an actual phish. No need to contact the Service Desk or IT Security when you get something suspicious. For more information, please visit the Phish Alarm Overview Page.

3. Each month we will be randomly selecting five people from everyone with “current” status on their UC Cyber Fundamentals Awareness Course assignment to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card. Here’s how to check your status on the annual training requirement:

• Click on the UC Learning Center link in MyAccess
• Click on “UC Learning Center Login” from the UC Learning Center page
• Click on “Required Training”
• Check the Status of “eCourse: UC Cyber Security Awareness Fundamentals”

Winners Circle

December Awareness Quiz Winners

Mary Shuler

Jennifer Morris

Olayemi Aderinto

Rena Mei

Lawrence Lin

Jennifer Lau (Med-ZSFG-Admin)

December Phish Alarm Winner

Christine Zhu

December LMS Cybersecurity

Awareness Course Winners

Yukinori Terada

Erin Wingo

Sarah Kinnier

Li Zhang(Cancer Care-De Anza Infusion)

Karla Fenstermaker

December Top Quiz Referrers

Millo Pasquini

Eve Phong (Dinh)

Cristina Morrison

Jennifer Camacho

Khin Nyunt

Matthew Lau

Casey Nelson

Julie Erich

Jason Dong

John Hasper

Thea Dela Cruz

Past Events

October 1, 2022-October 31 2022

UC Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2022

October is UC Cybersecurity Awareness Month (UCCAM), an annual effort to increase cybersecurity awareness and provide resources for people to stay safer and more secure online. The Systemwide Cyber Champions held events throughout the month.

Recordings will be added as they become available

Click Here to View October 2022 Cybersecurity Awareness Month Events

*****************************Spotlighted Events************************************

Tuesday, October 4 2022, 11:00AM-12:00 PM

Accessibility and Security Panel Discussion

Accessibility and Cybersecurity are both important considerations, particularly in inclusive yet cyber-vulnerable environments like those in the University of California system. Typically, conversations on these two topics are completely separate, but this event brought them together in a panel discussion to increase understanding and awareness of both sets of needs. With some effort and collaboration, it's possible to make technology both more accessible and more secure.

Watch the Accessibility and Security Panel Discussion Webinar

Read the New IT Blog Article on the Event!

Monday, October 24, 2022, 10:00-11:00 AM

Social Engineering

Social engineering, in the context of information security, refers to the use of psychological manipulation to trick people into divulging sensitive information (information gathering) or performing actions (fraud, unauthorized system access.) Rosa Smothers, Senior Vice President of Cyber Operations at KnowBe4, discussed these types of approaches and ways to be a “human firewall” for UCSF and your digital life.

Watch the Social Engineering Webinar

Tuesday, June 21, 2022 10:00-11:00 AM

Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) and their use of social engineering to target your organization

James R. McQuiggan, Security Awareness Advocate

APTs often utilize social engineering, the psychological manipulation to trick people into divulging sensitive information (information gathering) or performing actions (fraud, unauthorized system access.) Various approaches by APT groups and ways to be a “human firewall” for UCSF will be discussed.

Watch the APT Webinar 

Tuesday May 17, 2022 1:00-2:00 PM

QB3 Webinar: Cybersecurity: What You Need to Know in 2022

Elvis Chan, FBI; Allison Henry, UC Berkeley; Patrick Phelan, UCSF

Cybersecurity is a key issue for us in our private lives — think identity theft — and at the national scale — such as federal elections. For scientists in academic & commercial labs, threats include IP theft, ransomware, and hacktivism. Where are we vulnerable to those who want to disrupt or steal from us? How can we do the best possible job of protecting ourselves and the organizations we serve? Join us to learn best practices from the FBI's Elvis Chan, who manages San Francisco’s Cyber Branch, which is responsible for cyber investigations and digital forensics, and Allison Henry and Patrick Phelan, chief information security officers at UC Berkeley and UCSF respectively.

Co-sponsored by the UCSF Cyber-Champion Team.

Watch to QB3 FBI Webinar